War in Syria, 14th Century BC
A scenario for Impetus Rules
“…. I was ready to send my son to be king. But you were already on the throne and I did not know. Concerning what you have written to me: “Your son has died, but I have not caused him any ill.”
… What have you done with my son? Concerning the fact that no blood has been spilled between us before: the blood spilled since between us is not right…. “
Thus lamented King Suppiluliuma over the loss of his son Zannanza in a letter to the usurper, Ay.
In the 14th Century BC the recently widowed Queen of Egypt Ankhesenahmun (the wife of Tutankhamun ) wrote to the King of the Hittites asking him to send his son to marry her and rule over the Egyptians lest she be forced to marry her Vizier, Ay.
“My husband is dead and I have no son. People say that you have many sons (or many grown up sons). If you send me one of your sons he will become my husband for it is repugnant to me to take one of my servants (or subjects) as a husband”
However Vizier Ay and General Horemheb conspired to murder the Hittite Prince in order to seize power for themselves and thus began a war between the two nations that would last until the aftermath of the great battle of Kadesh in the reign of Rameses II.
The Scenario
The Battle is apocryphal, representing a clash between forces led by the vengeful King of the Hittites against those commanded by the Egyptian General, Horemheb. In this period the Hittites did consolidate their power over Northern Syria. Unfortunately many of the Egyptian prisoners taken carried plague to the Hittite heartland which led to the death of the King himself.
The Battle
The Battle will be fought in one session, VPs calculated at the end. Each commander must command either a Hittite or Egyptian chariot unit.
There is however a chance for automatic victory. This battle is a very personal affair with the Hittite King out to avenge the murder of his son. The Hittites win at the end of the turn if Horemheb is killed or flees the battlefield. The Egyptians win if Suppiluliuma is killed or flees. If both flee or die on the same turn the battle is an indecisive draw.
Setup
The board should be laid out with a small village (Difficult Ground, can be occupied) to the west in the deployment zone and with a few gentle hills (at least one in each deployment zone). A road can be placed (and allows bonus movement as p 18) and a small stream may also be included which can be crossed by unit or Group in column at half speed. A rocky ground piece should also be included. This is Broken Ground. The terrain is placed by the Hittites but one piece can be moved by the Egyptians (not the village). Troops on the hill receive a height bonus in combat and visibility is restricted to 15U/5U.
The Hittites should deploy first to the North, followed by the Egyptians to the South.
King Suppiluliuma has Two Die Rolls of Destiny which he can use to re-roll a cohesion test or force Horemheb to repeat a Cohesion Test.
The Battle for Syria 14th Cent BC
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